Zittende kat 1887 - 1924

Editor: We're looking at "Zittende kat"—that's "Sitting Cat"—a drawing made with ink on paper by Julie de Graag, sometime between 1887 and 1924. It feels almost like a simple, graphic novel illustration... almost a single panel. What do you see in this piece, from your perspective? Curator: Well, my dear, it has this wonderfully stark quality. De Graag's taken something inherently soft and cuddly and presented it with an almost brutalist elegance, doesn’t she? I’m strangely drawn to the tension between the severe black and beige contrasts against that quiet pose. It’s as if she's captured the essence of "catness," stripping away the unnecessary frills and ending up with a distillation of feline contemplation. Don't you feel she’s trapped in this melancholic box that gives almost a human personality to our furry companion? Editor: Absolutely. It's simplified, but evocative, not just a cat, but a mood. It reminds me of a poem, really. Do you think it says something about isolation, maybe? Curator: Precisely! The solid blacks versus muted colors of her period. Consider that time, Editor— a society grappling with industrialization and social upheaval. De Graag seems to suggest that even our little companions may carry a shadow of that weight with them; the work being made in the Netherlands also. Cats being the preferred companion... Could it reflect on social structures, feelings that resonated? Editor: That's fascinating— I wouldn't have picked up on those nuances without that perspective. I suppose art is always speaking to its time, even in something seemingly simple. Curator: Indeed, Editor. It reminds us to look beneath the surface—even in a cat's shadow—for a glimmer of the human experience. Now, where’s my coffee? All this intellectualizing has left me parched.